THREE SHADES OF LOVE

Three Shades of Love
Chapter - 4

The next day Mriganka entered the classroom and saw Samprikta sitting at the desk next to his. Samprikta seemed visibly bored, wondering why the girl chose to sit next to him when there were plenty of other seats available.
Noticing Mriganka 's arrival, Samprikta greeted him, "Hello!"
But Ignoring her words, Mriganka walked to his designated seat without saying anything.
Samprikta said, "I was waiting for you."
Mriganka asked, "Why? Why were you waiting for me all of a sudden?"
Samprikta explained, "Actually, in this school, you are the only one I connect with. I find it challenging to connect with others. Actually I'm quite introverted, you know, in the English sense. Anyway, can you give me your phone number?"
Mriganka replied, "Why?"
Samprikta said, "Suppose I don't come to school someday, then I won't know what we are studying. And there might be other needs. That's why I was saying."
Mriganka said, "But I don't use my phone much."
Samprikta insisted, "Don't lie. I know you talk to Surya and Rahul on WhatsApp. They mentioned in school that you had a conversation with Mrigank on WhatsApp, and even video called each other. Is that true?"
Mriganka thought, "Well, it's complicated. It seems like she has figured out everything about me."
Mriganka said, "Okay, it was difficult to escape. I see that everything about me is already known."
Samprikta replied, "Sorry! Would it be inconvenient for you?"
Mriganka, irritated, said, "There's no inconvenience. I just don't want to give you my phone number."
Samprikta insisted, "What's the problem?"
Mriganka said, "No problem. I just don't feel like giving you my phone number."
Samprikta challenged, "Alright, let's see how you manage not giving me your phone number without using any excuses."

When the teacher entered the class, everyone stood up. After a while, when the class ended, Samprikta asked Mriganka if he had a Facebook or Instagram profile, and if so, she wanted his profile name to send a friend request.
Mriganka, annoyed and said, "Don't be shameless. Even after I refused to give my phone number, you're asking these questions."
Mriganka continued, "I don't use any of those."
Samprikta commented, "Again lying!"
Mriganka replied, "I'm telling the truth. I don't use either of them."

During lunchtime, Mriganka went to meet Saranya. Seeing his face, Saranya sensed something was wrong and asked, "What happened to you?"
Mriganka said, "Nothing much. I got into trouble."
Saranya, concerned, asked, "Trouble? What happened?"
Mriganka explained, "Well, the girl sitting next to me is asking for my phone number and even my Facebook or Instagram profile name. She's persistent, and I'm annoyed."
Saranya chuckled and said, "You seem to be getting into quite a mess."
Mriganka retorted, "She's after me even during lunchtime. I'm not interested in giving her my contact details."
Saranya advised, "If you earn someday, things might change. Besides, everyone is using those platforms now, even for studies."
Mriganka said, "No, this won't happen. Moreover, all my interactions are limited to WhatsApp, and I don't want to share my number with that girl."
Saranya teased, "Look, you seem to be a hardcore basic guy."
Mriganka asked, "What's there in being basic?"
Saranya replied, "Not basic! A girl is asking for your phone number, and you're not giving it. She just wants it for a moment when needed."
Mriganka said, "Forget it. I won't give her anything."

The next day, Mriganka entered the classroom and saw Samprikta's desk empty. Samprikta hadn't arrived yet. Mriganka felt a moment of happiness not seeing her, but a few moments later, Samprikta entered and took her seat.
Samprikta said, "I'm sure you were thinking about me."
Mriganka, trying to act casual, said, "Oh, uh, not really."
Samprikta replied, "I know you were. Tell me honestly what you were thinking."
Mriganka, avoiding eye contact, said, "It's nothing. I don't have any reason to think about you or anyone else."
Samprikta, unbothered, said, "I could feel it. You must have been thinking about me."
Mriganka, annoyed, said, "No, I wasn't. Stop making assumptions."
Their interactions continued, and Samprikta's attempts to connect with Mriganka often ended in frustration. Despite Mriganka‘s refusal to share personal information, Samprikta persisted.

As days passed, Saranya continued to invite Mriganka to watch movies with friends, but he always declined, citing his tuition or other excuses. Saranya, undeterred, hoped for a change in Mriganka 's attitude.

Mriganka's behaviors and refusals to engage with Samprikta started affecting Saranya negatively. Even though Mriganka‘s actions were unintentional, they left a bitter taste in Saranya's mouth.

In the tiffin break, Samprikta asked Mriganka, "Where are you going with your lunch at this time?"
Mriganka did not respond to this question.
Samprikta said, "Are you planning to meet someone?"
Mriganka replied, "I'm not obligated to tell you that."
Samprikta said, "Okay then. By the way, who is the girl you meet every day?"
Mriganka, with a smile, said, "You've been following me? You follow me?"
Samprikta, a bit embarrassed, said, "No, no, I don't follow. I was passing by the waterfront that day and saw you talking to a girl. I haven't seen you talk like that before. You usually don't talk much, neither in the class nor with people. So, I was curious. Is she a very good friend of yours?"
Mriganka took a deep breath, looked towards Samprikta, and left without saying a word.

On the other side, Saranya is eagerly waiting for Mriganka to arrive at the classroom.
Seeing her excited, Anima asked, "Have you seen Mriganka?"
Anima replied, "I was talking with Samprikta just a while ago."
Saranya asked, "Who is Samprikta?"
Anima said, " Samprikta is the most beautiful girl in our class. She joined our school in class eleven. I heard she does modeling.
She is from a wealthy family, her father has a lot of money."
Saranya said, "Oh, I see."
Meanwhile, Mriganka arrived.
Saranya asked, "What took you so long?"
Mriganka said, "And why should I tell you? The girl sitting next to you bombarded me with questions."
Saranya said, "What's her name, Samprikta?"
Mriganka replied, "Yes, but how did you know?"
Saranya said, "Anima told me."
Mriganka said, "Oh, okay."

The next day, during the break, Saranya asked Mriganka for a pen.
Mriganka gave her a pen, and when she asked for a pencil, Mriganka said, "These are for use in school. You should tell everyone to stop pretending to be introverts all the time."
Saranya replied, "I don't pretend to be an introvert."
Mriganka, with a smirk, said, "You don't pretend? That's why everything goes wrong. For this very reason, you forget everything."
During the break, Saranya told Mriganka, "Today, we'll go back home through that opposite road. There's a park there, and we'll sit for a while and chat."
Mriganka agreed.

On their way back home, they sat in a park. Though the park was quite deserted, it was beautifully decorated with flowers around. There was a lovely fountain in the middle. After sitting for a while, they started talking. Saranya enjoyed spending time with Mriganka, feeling an unusual sense of comfort. There isn't any event in her life that Mriganka doesn't know about. In return, Mriganka shared all the events of his life with her.
While chatting, Saranya said, "Tomorrow, on our way to school, come here."
Mriganka asked, "Why?"
Saranya, with a smile, said, "It's necessary."
Mriganka said, "Tell me, what's so necessary."
Saranya replied, "No, I can't tell you now."
Mriganka insisted, "Tell me..."
Saranya said, "I can't say it now."
Mriganka asked, "Is it something so important that I have to come here for you?"
Saranya thought to herself, "You're forgetting your own birthday."
Saranya said, "Come and see. When I told you to come, so you have to. Period!"
Mriganka said, "Your orders are beyond my comprehension."

To be continued...